This invention relates generally to image detection and processing, and more particularly, to imaging optical trackers for detecting and tracking target data in azimuth and elevation. Radar systems for tracking targets at a relatively close range are limited by their long wavelength and susceptability to "clutter" or noise in the near field.
Optical trackers have been developed to alleviate these drawbacks of radar systems. In an imaging optical tracking system, an optical image of a field of interest is focused onto an array of detectors, which generates a corresponding set of electrical signals. The optical tracking system also performs a complex signal processing function, to determine and track the coordinates of multiple targets within the field. The complexity and cost of such a system increases as rapidly as the square of the required resolution and array size. For desirably high resolutions, the complexity and cost are unacceptably high, and the processing speed is reduced.
Accordingly, there is a need for an optical tracking system that can achieve high resolution levels, but without the cost and complexity associated with large optical detector arrays. The present invention satisfies this need.